Formative evaluation and quality of feedback: design and validation of scales for school teachers

Abstract

Formative evaluation has been described as one of the main pedagogical practices to promote the development of learning since it allows teachers and students to visualize the gaps between the level of mastery achieved and the level of mastery expected and direct their actions towards improvement. Despite this, the operationalization of the strategies that make up said methodology is still confusing and it has not been precisely defined what optimal use implies in terms of quality. The objective of this study is to design and validate a Strategies Scale for Formative Evaluation and a Feedback Quality Scale for Learning. The data of 364 primary and secondary teachers have been analyzed through exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis with structural equation models. Then, a cross-validation analysis has been carried out for each scale between two random subsamples. Also, differences have been explored according to the educational level where the participating teachers worked, primary or secondary, and differences according to their gender. The results have indicated an adequate goodness of fit for the Formative Evaluation Strategies Scale: χ2/df = 3.2, CFI = .91 and RMSEA = .07 and for the Quality of Feedback for Learning Scale χ2/df = 1.8, CFI = .94 and RMSEA = .05. No significant differences were found according to educational level or gender. The discussion presents a heuristic model that illustrates the relationships between how formative evaluation and quality of feedback have been defined with learning and teaching processes, considering the influences exerted by classroom climates, school climates and national educational systems.